Centering
by kathryn-hs
Summary: Booth and Brennan take a moment to re-center themselves. Slightly fluffy postep to Yanks in the UK.


A.N. This is just a little postep to YitUK, but it's sweet, and different from what I usually write. Reviews are cuddled and adored!

There was something wrong with Bones, Booth realized as he sank into his cushy seat. Actually, there had been something wrong with her face since she checked her messages in the departure hall. She had been fine before, slapping down money to bump him up to business class with her. He had argued so he didn't seem like a freeloader, but seriously, if she was rich enough to build a bridge, business class was nothing. Cheap FBI. Solve two murders in a foreign land, uphold the good name of America, and all he got was economy class. Aisle row. Now _that_ was insult to injury.

He bounced gently in his seat, swinging his legs way out and opening the shade on the tiny window. Booth peered out, grinning amiably at the orange-vested people running around below.

"Hey, look, Bones! There goes one of your bags…and another…and another…Hey, that isn't yours. Hah. Why would someone buy a bright pink suitcase? With flowers? Ugly."

"I would assume they want to ensure it doesn't get lost." Bones said absently, a tiny frown tugging down her full lips. She stayed that way even during takeoff, despite Booth's extra-sunny grins as he stared happily out the window.

She was in a fog while the pretty flight attendant handed out mixed nuts, even while he tried to throw them and catch them in his mouth.

He sighed heavily. Nothing. No irritated glance, no squint-face, no patronizing smile, not even an amused smile. No reaction at all. Whatever it was, it was bad.

"Booones. Hey, Bones."

She looked at him, face normal, but there was something strange in those eyes of hers. "What's the matter? I managed to bounce a cashew off your shoulder, and you didn't blink. Are you…um…are you thinking about Ian?" Great. Now he felt awkward.

"Oh, no. Booth, I…Angela and Hodgins broke up." The last was said in a rush, words jumbled together. It took a moment to make sense, and even when it technically did, it still didn't. Wait, that didn't either.

"What? Bones! They can't break up, they're getting married! Why?" They couldn't. They just couldn't.

"I don't know, Booth." Her eyes were strangely bright as she stared at him. "Angela doesn't either. At least, she said it wouldn't make sense until she talked to me." He had to smile at that, and she frowned. "It isn't funny."

"No! It's just-you're good at making sense out of things, Bones. You really are." He blew out a long breath, crumpling the empty packet of nuts and pushing it into his cupholder. There was a strange feeling in his stomach, like it was slowly sliding down his digestive tract, getting heavier and heavier. Not the bug man and the artist. They were perfect. So different, but somehow just so perfect together. He couldn't think of anything to say, and the silence between the two deepened.

"It's gone." Bones said finally, voice squinty and precise. It was the voice she used for staring at dead bodies on a slab. "The team is gone. First Zack," her voice broke slightly on his name, "Now Angela and Hodgins. We're lost." He swallowed against the weight in his gut as he realized she was staring at a body. The team's metaphorical corpse.

"No, we're not. We are not lost. You know why? Me and you, Bones, me and you. Remember? We're the center. We're the anchor, the thing that holds everyone together. And we are _not_ gonna just roll over and die! The center is going to hold, no matter what, and we can fix things. Maybe they won't be the same, but the center will hold, dammit! The two of us, we're partners. Nothing will ever change that, you hear me?" He could have kept ranting, but he managed to cut himself off, breathing hard.

She smiled. This close, he could see little crinkles around her eyes. He liked the laughlines against her pale skin.

"Thank you." Bones said simply.

"We'll talk to Angela and Hodgins, and I bet we can get things figured out. People get in fights sometimes, say things they shouldn't. We'll work it out."

"Yes. We make an excellent team." She said softly, her eyes somehow even brighter than before. Hardly thinking about it, he slung an arm round her shoulders and another round her stomach, and hugged her. It was a bit awkward with both of them sitting down, but he didn't mind a bit. He could feel tension easing in her body as he rubbed her shoulder gently. "A guy hug?" Bones' voice was even quieter, but with her mouth right next to his ear, he caught every word. He fought a shiver as he felt her warm breath brush his earlobe. He released her, keeping one arm around her waist in a way he hoped was nonchalant.

"Well. That was a few years ago, huh? Let's call it a friendship hug? One step at a time." Bones looked at him funny, but thankfully let his last comment slide. Slowly, she relaxed, leaning into him. They fit together, him and Bones. It was just a fact of life, one they hadn't fully explored just yet. He didn't mind. Everything happens eventually.


End file.
